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6 Sexy (But Not Cheesy!) Gifts For a Lover

“Your slacker boyfriend gives you a cupcake; your lover gives you macarons.” Thus quoth the New York Times last week in an article about the sexy qualities of macarons, the airy pastry that's been taking New York by storm for the past year or so. We love the idea of gifts from a lover. A boyfriend or girlfriend might give you a first-edition copy of a meaningful book, a framed picture of your first date, a video game you’ll both play for hours, a nice dinner for two. A lover’s gifts will all be of a sexier ilk...

If you want to up the romance factor in your long-term monogamous relationship, or thoroughly impress the person you’re casually dating, here are some seductive gifts that will make them feel, you know. Wanted.

1. Macarons Macarons are airy, almond cookies with a creamy filling — and they are sexy. In the words of the New York Times, “A macaron teases. Dainty, nearly weightless, it leaves you hungrier than you were before. It is but a prelude to other pleasures.” What’s more, they usually come in a sexy box tied with a ribbon — whomever you send these to will feel quite woo’d.

2. Instant camera It doesn’t have to be an expensive polaroid — any instant camera that shoots out the film immediately will do. In an age of digital photography, there’s something to be said about having fun with a camera that lets you quickly destroy the evidence. This gift is subtle and sexy: you’re just sending a camera, it’s up to them to decide what to photograph.

3. Silk scarf At $300, Hermes scarves may be more of an aspiration than a plausible gift for a date. But whether you spring for the best or find a cheaper equivalent, a silk scarf makes a wonderful gift for a lover because it’s something that can be worn all day (tied around the neck, over a coat, around a handbag) and used in the bedroom.

4. A piece of art Provided you’re confident enough to know your date’s taste (or feel confident ascribing your own), a piece of art can make a really sexy gift, especially if it arrives, apropos of nothing, by mail. Showing him or her that you think of them while looking at art is really the highest compliment--it shows that they’re imbued in your subconscious, and that you associate them with art, beauty, and taste. A piece of art also has all the trappings of an expensive gift, even though it doesn’t have to be: the website 20x200.com has affordable, contemporary art for every budget.

5. Champagne People use champagne to celebrate special occasions — a wedding, a promotion, an opening. Showing up on a random Tuesday night with a bottle of Veuve shows that you think any random night with your date is worth celebrating. Obviously, this is gonna set you back more than your average Two Buck Chuck: but the point of expensive champagne is that you have to sip it slowly. You can’t rush a $70 bottle of champagne, and you can’t let it go to waste either. Think of it as utterly delectable foreplay, in a bottle.

6) Provocative pictures In a long-distance relationship? There’s probably nothing sexier you can send your lover than some printed out, nicely done provocative photos (exactly how provocative your pictures are depends on you — personally, we’re of the school of thought that suggestive is better than overt). Of course, the easiest thing to do is to send them digitally, but we think there’s something to be said about receiving actual pictures in the mail.